Staff Software Engineer (Search & Recommendations)

Warby Parker; New York (NY); On-site; USD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Free eyewear

Job summary

Warby Parker is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead the design and development of scalable backend systems. You will architect and build platforms powering our core business, working at the intersection of data processing, API design, and distributed systems.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Engineering, you will collaborate with Product Managers and cross-functional teams to design and deliver high-performance backend services that power customer experiences across our retail and

Qualifications

• 7+ years in professional software development.
• Experience building and scaling distributed systems or web-scale backends.
• Strong in high-level languages and ecosystems (Golang, Python, C#).
• Mastery of domain modeling, system design, and data architecture for high-performance systems.
• Proficient with AWS and cloud-native architectures for high availability & low latency.
• Knowledge of modern backend tech stack: data pipelines, API lifecycle, observability.
• Ability to break down complex initiatives and deliver value incrementally.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of scalable backend applications.
• Promote adoption of new technologies to advance the product.
• Address scale and reliability challenges with robust engineering practices.
• Ensure services meet defined SLAs with stakeholders.
• Lead code reviews and uphold code quality standards.
• Foster a test-minded approach across the SDLC.
• Monitor applications and resolve SLA violations quickly.

Skills

Distributed systems

Golang

Python

C#

Data pipelines

Cloud/AWS

API design

Observability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

OpenSearch/Elasticsearch

SageMaker

Kubernetes

Job description

Warby Parker is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead the design and development of our scalable backend systems. You'll architect and build the platforms that power our core business, working at the intersection of large-scale data processing, API design, and distributed systems.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Engineering, you'll collaborate with Product Managers and cross-functional teams to design and deliver high-performance backend services that power customer experiences across our retail and e-commerce channels. Your work will directly impact system scalability and resilience, requiring technical excellence and strategic thinking to balance business objectives with robust engineering practices.

What you'll do:

• Be the technical leader of teams designing and developing world-class backend applications that power our business
• Promote the adoption of new technologies that advance and evolve our product
• Tackle challenges of scale and reliability through solid backend engineering practices and creative problem solving
• Ensure your products are resilient and meet well-defined service level agreements with client stakeholders
• Lead code reviews and help maintain high standards of code quality
• Exceed quality expectations through a strong test-minded approach at every step of the SDLC
• Monitor your application and resolve issues and SLA violations quickly and efficiently

Who you are:

• You have a degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent work experience with 7+ years in professional software development
• Has demonstrated experience building and scaling distributed systems or webscale backend applications in production environments
• An expert in high-level languages such as Golang, Python, or C# with deep understanding of their ecosystems and best practices
• Has a mastery of domain modeling, system design, and data architecture patterns relevant to high-performance distributed systems
• Proficient in cloud technologies (particularly AWS), distributed systems, and service-oriented architectures with focus on high-availability and low-latency services
• Understand the full stack of modern backend systems including data pipelines, API lifecycle management, and observability frameworks
• Well-versed in agile work processes and comfortable breaking down complex backend initiatives to deliver value incrementally
• A clear, concise communicator who can translate technical concepts for cross-functional stakeholders and influence architectural decisions
• Possesses a strong belief in accountability and holds engineering teams to high standards around code quality, testing, observability, and performance
• Demonstrated ability to deliver complex software projects with a high level of autonomy while mentoring others
• Not on the Office of Inspector General's List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE)

Extra credit:

• Experience with AWS cloud infrastructure, particularly services like OpenSearch/Elasticsearch, SageMaker, Personalize, or Bedrock
• Background in machine learning engineering, including model training, evaluation, and deployment pipelines
• Experience with vector databases and semantic search technologies
• Familiarity with real-time streaming data processing and event-driven architectures
• Experience building and scaling search, recommendation, and personalization systems
• Knowledge of the full stack of modern recommendation systems, including feature engineering and model servingIn compliance with local and state requirements, Warby Parker is committed to pay transparency.

In compliance with local and state requirements, Warby Parker is committed to pay transparency. We offer a comprehensive compensation package that includes not only a competitive base salary/hourly rate but also variable compensation for eligible employees.

For applicable postings, the range listed is a good faith estimate of the compensation for this position at the time of posting. Final compensation is thoughtfully determined by a variety of factors, including the candidate's qualifications, experience, internal equity, and relevant market data.

For applicable postings, non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay if you are required to work more than 40 hours in a workweek.

Some benefits of working at Warby Parker for full-time employees:

• Health, vision, and dental insurance
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Paid sick leave1
• Paid Holidays1
• Vacation days per year1
• Retirement savings plan (401(k))
• Parental leave (non-birthing parents included)
• Short-term disability
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Bereavement Support
• Optical Education Reimbursement
• Free eyewear
• And more (just ask!)

Some benefits of working at Warby Parker for part-time employees:

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Free eyewear
• Paid sick leave2
• And more (just ask!)

Warby Parker will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the California Fair Chance Act.

If you are a California resident, please review the additional privacy disclosures available in Section 8 of our Privacy Policy, which provides a summary of how we collect, use, disclose, and share personal information about you and explain your rights under the California Privacy Rights Act ("CPRA").

1 WA only: Full-Time employees' paid sick leave is accrued at a rate of 1 hour per every 26 hours worked. Full-time employees receive 5 paid holidays and 5-10 vacation days per year (after waiting period, depending on tenure and hours worked). 2 WA PT only: Paid sick leave (accrued at a rate of 1 hour per every 30 hours worked).

About Us:

Warby Parker was founded with a mission: to inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style.

We’re constantly asking ourselves how we can do more and make a greater impact, and that starts by reimagining everything that a company and industry can be. We want to demonstrate that a business can scale while doing good in the world, without charging a premium for it. And we’ve learned that it takes creativity, empathy, and innovation to achieve that goal.

Since the day we launched in 2010, we’ve pioneered ideas, designed products, and developed technologies that help people see. We offer everything you need for happier eyes at a price that leaves you with money in your pocket, from designer-quality glasses and contacts to eye exams and vision tests, and you can meet us online, at our stores, or even in your home. Wherever and whenever you need it, we’re there to make exceptional vision care simple and accessible. (Delightful, too.)